Saxophone cord



July 1, 1941'. c. A. BAUMANN SAXOPHONE CORD flan/Z31". (rZ z Q azwrzazzza Filed Feb. 10, 1958 Patented July 1, 1941 UNETED STATES PATENT 6 i i lCE SAXOPHONE CORD Carl A. Baumann, Oak Park, Ill.

Application February 10, 1938, Serial No. 139,753

2 Claims. (01124- This invention relates to the simple form of supporting harness which is employed to support the weight of a saxophone or similar instrument while it is being played, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an adjustable holding means by which the length of the support may be varied at will by relatively simple manipulation, and which will serve to hold the parts firmly at adjusted position. Another object is to provide means in the harness to avoid twisting and snarling of certain of the parts; and another object is to provide a novel form of supporting hook for the instrument, arranged to prevent tangling of the cord which forms a portion of the hardness. The invention consists in certain elements and features of construction in combination, as herein show and described and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the harness or supporting cord embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the adjusting member on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a perspective View showing the rear side of the adjusting member.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken substantially as indicated at line 4-4 but on the same scale as Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view on an enlarged scale showing a swivel connection embodied in the harness.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a special hook employed as a part of the device.

The harness, as fully shown in Figure 1, includes a collar band I which encircles the neck of the player, a hook 2 which is attached to a suitable ring or eye on the instrument itself (not shown), and an adjustable cord connecting the band I to the hook 2. As illustrated, the cord includes two strands 3, 3 which extend from opposite ends respectively of the collar band I and pass through apertures 4, 4 in the plate 5 which serves as the adjusting member. Just above the apertures 4, 4 the plate includes a cross-bar in two sections 6, 6 with an upstanding spacer or separator bar I between them. Each of the strands 3 is wrapped once around its section 6 of the cross-bar, as seen at 3a in Figure 4, and thence the strands extend downwardly at 312 to the hook.

The hook 2 is formed with a double eye 8 which serves to separate the two strands 3b from each other so as to prevent them from becoming tangled or twisted together. From the hook the strands extend upward at 30 and are anchored in the lower portion of the adjusting plate 5. Preferably, and for simplicity of construction, the cord is unitary throughout its length, so that the strands 3c are simply oppo- 1 site ends of a terminal loop 3d at the middle of the cross-bar section 6, 6 grip the bar frictionally and hold the adjusting plate 5 at any position on the supporting strands 3, 3 at which it may be positioned. Shifting the plate 5 upwardly along the strands 3, 3 lifts the hook 2 and shifting it downwardly lowers the hook 2 with respect to the collar band I thus varying the length of the harness, and varying the height at which the instrument will be supported by it. To vary the position of the instrument the harness may be somewhat relieved of its weight temporarily, which releases the frictional grip of the cords at 3a, and allows them to slip around the crossbar section 6, 6 as the plate 5 is moved up or down along the cords.

To facilitate shifting the adjusting plate 5 without interfering with the free movement of the cords through it, the plate is provided with finger grips ID, ID projecting rearwardly at both sides; as shown, these grip members are annular and are formed integrally with the fiat stock of the plate 5 being bent back therefrom at right angles to the plane of the plate,

In a device of this nature, employing the combination of the strap or band I and of the cord 3 of considerable length, the cord is quite likely to become twisted or tangled when not in use, and, to simplify the straightening and untangling under such conditions I find it of advantage to couple the strands 3, 3 to the neck band I by means of swivel connections, shown in detail in Figure 5. Each end of the band has a metallic spherical pocket member I2 attached to it by means of ears I3 and a rivet I4 passing through said ears. The upper end of each strand 3 of the cord is knotted, as seen at I5, and the knot is dropped into a spherical socket I 6 of a cage member I! formed of sheet metal. The upper end of the member I I is also formed with a spherical socket I 8. A hollow bead or ball I9 fits into this socket I8 and is connected by a wire link 20 with a second bead or ball 2| carried in the pocket l2. The construction of the beads I9 and 2| and their link 20 may be similar to that found in flexible chains used for operating the switch mechanism of electric light sockets; the link 20 is swivelly engaged in each of the beads I9 and 2! so that, in itself, this portion of the connection forms a swivel between the cord 3 and the strap l. Thus, any torsional strain in the cord is automatically relieved, and untangling is greatly simplified.

Preferably, though not necessarily, I secure to the rear face of the plate 5 a guard structure for loosely confining the strands of the cord 3 in proper relation to the cross-bar 6 and apertures 4. This may consist of cross-members 22 and 23 having foot portions 24, soldered or riveted to the plate 5 and a vertical connecting bar 25 which is shown as integral with the members 22 and 23. Although I have provided the finger grips H1, H! by which the device should be grasped for adjustment, it may be mistakenly gripped by pressure upon its front and back faces. In that case the guard structure will prevent direct pressure upon the strands of the cord at the back of the device, and will tend to permit it to be operated even in this incorrect manner; however, the finger pressure on the wrapped portions of the strands at So will somewhat impair their freedom of adjustment, and the user will readily discover the advantage of the finger grips H], [0.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated for the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjusting member and a saxophone cord of two strands between which the load is divided, said member having a cross-bar around which the two strands of the cord are both wrapped so as to extend upwardly from the back side of the cross-bar for connection with a support and downwardly from the back side of the cross-bar, then slidably around a load-carrying element and finally upward therefrom to an anchorage on the adjusting member, and guard means comprising bars fixedly and permanently secured to the back of the adjusting member in spaced relation thereto and extending transversely thereof, at positions respectively above and below that of the cross-bar, for loosely confining the strands in the vicinity of the cross-bar.

2. An adjusting member and a saxophone cord of two strands between which the load is divided, said member having a cross-bar around which the two strands of the cord are both wrapped so as to extend upwardly from the back side of the cross-bar for connection with a support and downwardly from the back side of the cross-bar, then slidably around a load-carrying element and finally upward therefrom to an anchorage on the adjusting member, and guard means of bar form fixedly and permanently attached to the back of said adjusting member in spaced rela tion to the rear surface thereof and positioned to leave unobstructed spaces directly back of the cross-bar and in the immediate vicinity thereof to facilitate wrapping the strands on the crossbar, said guard means serving to loosely hold the strands in place after they are arranged in correct relation to the adjusting member.

CARL A. BAUMANN. 

